Right Now in Rome: Renaissance Rivalries, Oversized Flowers and Some Well-Laid Out Colorful Lines

The end of October saw the opening of some pretty impressive exhibits at the main museums across the city, many of which will remain open well into December and early 2012.

If you’re looking to catch a face-off between a couple of Renaissance Masters, you actually have two options right now. Fillipino Lippi and Sandro Botticelli are holding court at the Scuderie del Quirinale with a show that focuses on the two masters’ work in Florence in the 15th Century and features Lippi’s Madonna and Child and Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi, both on loan from the Uffizi.

For a Renaissance rivalry more of the Ninja Turtle variety, Leonardo and Michelangelo are squaring off at the Capitoline Museums. This collection features 66 drawings on loan from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan and the Casa Buonarotti in Florence to provide a never-before-seen comparison of the two – demonstrating how these two “rivals” in fact pushed, learned from and admired one another. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t pick a winner. The exhibition’s presence in the Capitoline Museums on the Campidoglio gives Michelangelo home field advantage (he did design the facades and piazza after all), compounded by the undeniable fact that nunchuks > swords.

In addition to these, the Complesso Vittoriano is hosting Piet Mondrian’s Perfect Harmony, the Fondazione Roma Museo on Via del Corso is showing a Georgia O’Keefe Retrospective (check out our forthcoming review) and the Ara Pacis has a special exhibit dedicated to Audrey Hepburn’s life in Rome, including, yes, the Vespa from Roman Holiday. I’m sold.

Fillipino Lippi and Botticelli – Florence in the 1400’s
When: runs through January 15, 2012
Tickets: 10 euro
Where: Scuderie di Quirinale

Michelangelo and Leonardo – Capolavori della Grafica e Studi Romani
When: runs through February 12, 2012
Tickets: 12 euro
Where: Capitoline Museums in Piazza Campidoglio (above the Vittoriano)

Piet Mondrian – Perfect Harmony
When: runs through January 29, 2012
Tickets: 12 euro
Where: Complesso del Vittoriano

Georgia O’Keefe
When: runs through January 22, 2012
Tickets: 10 euro
Where: Fondazione Roma Museo on Via Del Corso

Audrey in Rome
When: runs through December 4th, 2011
Tickets: 10 euro, also includes access to Augustus’ Altar of Peace (Ara Pacis) housed in the same building
Where: Museo dell’Ara Pacis